Mount for firearms

ABSTRACT

A mount comprising a connecting portion attachable to a firearm, a first member connected to the connecting portion to be rotatable about a first axis, a second member connected to the first member to be rotatable about a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and an attachment system connected to the second member for receiving an accessory. Also, a mount attachable to a firearm and having a dampener system connected to base and body portions thereof, the dampener system acting to dampen a recoil force produced by the firearm. Further, a mount attachable to a firearm and allowing a first rotation varying an azimuth of an accessory and a second rotation varying an angle of elevation of the accessory, and control means adjusting the second rotation to obtain a desired value and automatically producing the first rotation to correct a lateral drift of the firearm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/359,922, filed on Jan. 27, 2012, and issued on Apr. 15, 2014 as U.S.Pat. No. 8,695,265; which is a divisional of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/966,263, filed on Dec. 13, 2010, and issued on Feb. 21, 2012as U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,781; which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/401,041, filed on Mar. 10, 2009, and issued onJan. 18, 2011 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,870,689; which is a divisional of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/059,688, filed on Feb. 17, 2005, andissued on Apr. 21, 2009 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,083.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to firearms and, more particularly, tosystems for mounting various accessories to firearms.

2. Background Art

It is well known to use various accessories, such as infrared and nightvision scopes, laser spotters and the like, with firearms. In the caseof small firearms, such accessories are typically mounted to anaccessory mount directly securable to the firearm.

However, in the case of larger firearms producing a significant recoilforce, such as the MK-19 grenade machine gun or the M-2HB machine gun,such accessories are usually mounted to an accessory mount securable tothe cradle or another fixed support of the firearm. This eliminates theeffect of the recoil force on the accessory, thus minimizing the risksof injury to the operator. One example of such a mount is the MK RANGER,which adapts to the MK-64 or MK-93 cradle used with the MK-19 grenademachine gun, and receives a laser. A disadvantage of such mounts is thatthe precision of the position of the accessories with respect to thefirearm is influenced by the positioning of the firearm on the cradle orsupport.

Accordingly, there exists a need for an accessory mount for releasablysecuring at least one accessory directly on a firearm having asignificant recoil force while minimizing the risks of injury to theoperator.

Also, existing accessory mounts directly securable to firearms usuallyprovide no adjustment, or a very limited adjustment, of an orientationof the accessory with respect to the firearm. Accordingly, there existsa need for an accessory mount for releasably securing at least oneaccessory directly on a firearm while allowing adjustment of theaccessory with respect to the firearm about at least two axes.

Moreover, some firearms have a lateral drift which varies with the angleof elevation of the firearm and needs to be compensated in order to haveeffective and precise targeting. This is the case for the MK-19 grenademachine gun mentioned above. Accordingly, there exists a need for anaccessory mount for releasably securing at least one accessory directlyon a firearm which automatically compensates for the lateral drift whilevarying the angle of elevation of the accessory.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide an accessorymount for releasably securing at least one accessory to a firearm whichallows for adjustment of the accessory about two axes.

It is another aim of the present invention to provide an accessory mountfor releasably securing at least one accessory to a firearm whichautomatically adjusts an azimuth of the accessory when the angle ofelevation thereof is varied to compensate for a lateral drift of thefirearm.

It is a further aim of the present invention to provide an accessorymount for releasably securing at least one accessory directly on afirearm which includes a system for dampening the recoil force producedby the firearm.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is providedan accessory mount for releasably securing at least one accessory to afirearm, the mount comprising a connecting portion attachable to thefirearm, a first member connected to the connecting portion, the firstmember being rotatable with respect to the connecting portion about afirst axis substantially perpendicular to a firing direction of thefirearm, a second member connected to the first member, the secondmember being rotatable with respect to the first member about a secondaxis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and a firstattachment system connected to the second member for releasablyreceiving a first of the at least one accessory.

Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anaccessory mount for releasably securing at least one accessory to afirearm, the mount comprising a base portion attachable to the firearm,a body portion engaged to the base portion to be slidable along a firstaxis substantially parallel to a firing direction of the firearm, anattachment portion connected to the body portion for releasablyreceiving the at least one accessory, and a dampener system connected tothe base and body portions, the dampener system acting along the firstaxis to dampen a recoil force produced by the firearm.

Further in accordance with the present invention, there is provided anaccessory mount for releasably securing at least one accessory to afirearm, the mount comprising a connecting portion attachable to thefirearm, an attachment portion releasably receiving the at least oneaccessory and connected to the connecting portion to allow a firstrotation varying an azimuth of the at least one accessory and a secondrotation varying an angle of elevation of the at least one accessory,and control means adjusting the second rotation to obtain a desiredvalue of the angle of elevation of the at least one accessory andautomatically producing the first rotation to correct a lateral drift ofthe firearm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by wayof illustration a preferred embodiment of the present invention and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mount according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention showing a relative position betweena body and base corresponding to a forward reaction force after a recoilof the firearm, and with an exploded portion showing a mounting of acontrol system providing no lateral drift correction;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mount of FIG. 1 showing the relativeposition between the body and base corresponding to the recoil of thefirearm, with an exploded portion showing a mounting of the controlsystem providing a lateral drift correction;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partly exploded, of the mount of FIG. 2from an opposed point of view and showing knob covers in place overadjustment knobs;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mount of FIG. 3 from an alternativepoint of view and showing the adjustment knobs without the knob covers;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the mount of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the mount of FIG. 2 showing a first simultaneousazimuth adjustment of first and second attachment systems providing thelateral drift correction;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the mount of FIG. 1 or 2 showing a firstsimultaneous adjustment of the angle of elevation of the first andsecond attachment systems;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the mount of FIG. 2 showing a second azimuthadjustment of the second attachment system;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the mount of FIG. 1 or 2 showing a secondadjustment of the angle of elevation of the second attachment system;and

FIG. 10 is a perspective exploded view of the mount of FIG. 2 showingthe various main components thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now generally to FIGS. 1, 2 and 10, an accessory mountaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown at10. The mount 10 comprises a base 12 and a body 14 which are slidinglyconnected together through a dampening system 16 to form a connectingportion of the mount 10. The mount 10 also comprises an attachmentportion including a first element 18 connected to the body 14 by a firstpivot 20, a second element 22 connected to the first element 18 by asecond pivot 24, and a third element 26 connected to the second element22 by a third pivot 28.

The first pivot 20 provides a rotation about an axis perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the base 12, which corresponds to the firingdirection of the firearm, such that the first element 18 rotates in asubstantially horizontal plane when the firing direction issubstantially horizontal. The second pivot 24 provides a rotation aboutan axis perpendicular to the axis of the first pivot 20, such that thesecond element 22 rotates in a plane perpendicular to the plane ofrotation of the first element 18. The third pivot 28 provides a rotationabout an axis perpendicular to the axis of the second pivot 24 such thatthe third element 26 rotates in a plane perpendicular to the plane ofrotation of the second element 22.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a first attachment system 30 is connected to thesecond element 22, and a second attachment system 32 is connected to thethird element 26. Both attachment systems 30,32 are standard accessoryattachment systems, such as Picatinny-type rails which are composed of aseries of spaced apart ribs. Preferably, the first attachment system 30is directly connected to the second element 22 while the secondattachment system 32 is connected to the third element 26 through afourth pivot 34. The fourth pivot 34 provides a rotation about an axisperpendicular to the axis of the third pivot 28, such that the secondattachment system 32 rotates in a plane perpendicular to the plane ofrotation of the third element 26.

The mount 10 thus provides for a variety of adjustments for accessoriesmounted thereon. As shown in FIG. 6, rotation about the first pivot 20provides a first simultaneous azimuth adjustment “A” of the first andsecond attachment systems 30,32 through the first, second and thirdelements 18,22,26. As shown in FIG. 7, rotation about the second pivot24 provides for a first simultaneous angle of elevation adjustment “B”for the first and second attachment systems 30,32 through the second andthird elements 22,26. As can be seen in FIG. 8, rotation about the thirdpivot 28 provides a second azimuth adjustment “C” for the secondattachment system 32 through the third element 26. Finally, as can beseen in FIG. 9, rotation about the fourth pivot 34 provides a secondangle of elevation adjustment “D” for the second attachment system 32.

The various components of the mount 10 will now be described in moredetails.

As can be best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 10, the base 12 includes a railportion 40 which is adequately shaped to engage a given firearm (notshown). The rail portion 40 is adapted to be securely mounted to thefirearm such as by fasteners or the like. Holes 42 are provided in therail portion 40 for air circulation purposes. An arm 44 is releasablyfastened onto the rail portion 40 by means of bolts or the like and canbe readily detached from the rail portion 40 whenever it is desired toinstall the mount 10 on another firearm equipped with a rail similar tothe rail portion 40.

The arm 44 includes a top cylindrical bore 45 as well as part of thedampening system 16, namely first and second hydraulic cylinders 46,48.The first and second hydraulic cylinders 46,48 respectively receivefirst and second pistons 50,52. The pistons 50,52 each have one endinside the respective cylinder 46,48 and another end secured to the body14. The hydraulic cylinders 46,48 and pistons 50,52 are parallel to thefiring direction of the firearm such that the pistons 50,52 extend outof the cylinders 46,48 in opposite directions from each other. Thisallows for dampening to occur both during the recoil (see FIG. 2) andthe reaction forward movement (see FIG. 1) following it. Althoughhydraulic dampeners are illustrated, it is also considered to usealternative dampening systems.

As can also be best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 10, the body 14 includes ahousing 60 defining a cavity for receiving the dampening system 16, aswell as first and second circular openings 62,64 in the housing 60 toaccommodate the movement of the first and second hydraulic cylinders46,48, respectively. The housing 60 also includes first and secondaligned holes 65, which are aligned with the cylindrical bore 45 of thebase 12 to receive a shaft (not shown) slidingly engaging the base 12and the body 14. A guide 66 extends from the housing 60 in a directionparallel to the firing direction of the firearm. The guide 66 is shapedas a shaft having a grooved end. As seen in FIGS. 7 and 10, the housing60 also includes a pair of lugs 66 which form part of the first pivot20.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the first element 18 preferably includes aseries of holes 70 to minimize a weight thereof. The first element 18includes a lug 72 (see FIGS. 7 and 10) which is attached to the lugs 66of the body 14 by a pin (not shown) to form the first pivot 20. Thefirst element 18 also includes a control system receiving portion 74which includes a window 76 having a pointer 78 and a light (not shown)therein. The light is preferably mounted in a recess in a side wall ofthe window 76 to minimize light emissions outside of the window 76. Thefirst element 18 further includes a push button 80 for activating thelight, and a closable battery casing 82 for receiving a battery poweringthe light.

As seen in FIGS. 1-2, a control system generally shown at 90 allows auser to adjust the rotation of the second element 22 about the secondpivot 24. The control system 90 includes a shaft 92 which isrotationally retained by the first element 18 and by the guide 66, andpasses through the second element 22 located therebetween (see FIG. 10).The shaft 92 is threaded on the end retained by the guide 66. The secondelement 22 includes a pair of lugs 94 with aligned bores 96 near theshaft 92. An arcuate plate 98 includes similar lugs 100 with alignedbores 102 which are engaged to the lugs 94 of the second element 22 by apin 104 going through the aligned bores 96,102. The guide 66 is thussandwiched between the mounted arcuate plate 98 and the second element22. The arcuate plate 98 includes an arcuate slot 106 and has one flatside 108 and one side defining an arcuate groove 110 surrounded by aninclined plane 112. A retaining knob 114 engages the threaded end of theshaft 92 over the arcuate plate 98.

As can be best seen in FIG. 3, the other end of the shaft 92 is keyed toa dial 116 having numerical indications usually indicating a targetdistance (not shown) aligned with the window 76, to an adjustment knob118 having a profile easily grasped by a user, and to a standard quicklocking system 120 which, when engaged, prevents the rotation of theshaft 92. Preferably, the dial 116 is reversible and includes two setsof numerical indications corresponding to two different firearms. Thenumerical indications are disposed so that only one set is visiblethrough the window 76.

As can be best seen in FIGS. 7 and 10, the shaft 92 supports a gear 122which is keyed thereto. The second element 22 includes an arcuate gearmember 124 which is meshed with the gear 122. The arcuate gear member124, as well as the arcuate slot and groove 106,110 of the installedplate 98, each define an arc of circle having its center at the secondpivot 24.

The control system 90 allows the user to adjust the rotation of thesecond element 22 by turning the adjustment knob 118 until a desirednumerical indication on the dial 116 is aligned with the pointer 78 inthe window 76. Turning the adjustment knob 118 turns the gear 122through the shaft 92, which activates the rotation of the second element22 by rotating the arcuate gear member 124 about the second pivot 24,thus varying the angle of elevation of the first and second attachmentsystems 30,32. The user can than lock the second element 22 at thedesired angle of elevation by engaging the quick locking system 120.

The control system 90 also produces an automatic correction of a lateraldrift of the firearm. As explained above, the guide 66 is sandwichedbetween the arcuate plate 98 and the second element 22, such as to besnugly received in a channel formed between the two. When the arcuateplate 98 is mounted as shown in FIG. 2, i.e. with the inclined plane 112in contact with the guide 66, the channel thus created forms an anglewith respect to the plane of rotation of the second element 22. As thesecond element 22 is rotated about the pivot 24, the guide 66 sliding inthe angled channel will force a rotation of the first element 18 aboutthe first pivot 20.

In the case where no lateral drift correction is required, the arcuateplate 98 is mounted as shown in FIG. 1, i.e. with the flat side 108against the guide and the retaining knob 118 sliding on a flat surfacewithin the arcuate groove 110. As the second element 22 is rotated aboutthe second pivot 66, the guide 66 will thus slide in a channel parallelto the plane of rotation of the second element 22. In that case, norotation will occur about the first pivot 20 and the first element 18and body 14 will act as an integral member.

As shown in FIG. 4, the user can also adjust the rotation of the thirdelement 26 about the third pivot 28 by turning a small knob 126. Thesmall knob 126 is keyed onto a threaded shaft (not shown), which isretained in the third element 26 and threadably received in the secondelement 22. Similarly, the user can adjust the rotation of the secondadjustment system 32 about the fourth pivot 34 by turning a second smallknob 128. The second small knob 128 is keyed onto a second threadedshaft (not shown) which is similarly retained in the third element 26and threadably received in the second adjustment system 32. As shown inFIG. 3, each of the small knobs 126,128 is equipped with a removableknob cover 130,132 which, when engaged over the respective knob 126,128,prevents the knob 126,128 from being accidentally turned.

In operation, the user determines if the firearm to be used requires alateral drift correction and mounts the arcuate plate 98 accordingly.The user then attaches the mount 10 to the firearm through the railportion 40, and desired accessories to the first and second attachmentsystems 30,32. The user first adjusts the angle of elevation of theaccessories by turning the adjustment knob 118 until a desired numericalindication of the dial 116 is aligned with the pointer 78 in the window46. If needed, the user can press the push button 80 such as to activatethe light in the window 76 to better see the numerical indications onthe dial 116. Turning the adjustment knob 118 will simultaneously rotatethe second and third elements 22,26 about the second pivot 24 throughthe action of the gear 122 and arcuate gear member 124. When the desiredorientation of the second element 22 is obtained, the quick lockingsystem 120 is engaged to prevent accidental rotation of the controlsystem 90.

If the arcuate plate 98 is mounted as shown in FIG. 2, turning theadjustment knob 118 will also provide the lateral drift correction bysimultaneously rotating the first, second and third elements 18,22,26about the first pivot 20 through the action of the guide 66 and inclinedplane 112 of the arcuate plate 98. If the arcuate plate 98 is mounted asshown in FIG. 1, no rotation will occur about the first pivot 20 and thefirst element 18 will form an integral member with the body 14.

The user can then adjust the azimuth and angle of elevation of theaccessory mounted onto the second attachment system 32 by turning thesmall knobs 126,128 which will respectively rotate the third element 26about the third pivot 28 and the second attachment system 32 about thefourth pivot 34. Once the desired orientation is obtained, the knobcovers 130,132 are engaged to the small knobs 126,128 to preventaccidental rotation thereof.

When the firearm is fired, the recoil force as well as the reactionforward force will be dampened by the dampening system 16. This willminimize the risk of injury to the user by limiting the range and speedof the movement of the accessories caused by the recoil of the firearm.

The various user controls of the mount 10 (i.e. the knobs 118,126,128,the quick locking system 120, the knob covers 130,132, the push button80) are disposed and designed such as to be operable with a single hand,thus simplifying the use of the mount 10.

The present invention thus provides for releasable attachment of atleast one accessory directly to a firearm while providing separateadjustment of two accessories with respect to a firing direction aboutat least two axes.

The present invention also advantageously provides lateral driftcorrection when needed while being usable with firearms requiring nolateral drift correction.

The present invention further provides a dampening system dampening therecoil force produced by a firearm, such that accessories can be mounteddirectly on firearms producing a significant recoil force whileminimizing the risks of injury to the user.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to beexemplary. Those skilled in the art will therefore appreciate that theforegoing description is illustrative only, and that variousalternatives and modifications can be devised without departing from thespirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention isintended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and varianceswhich fall within the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A machine gun of the type having asignificant recoil force, the machine gun comprising a gun body, anaccessory mount mounted onto the machine gun, at least one accessorydetachably mounted to the accessory mount, the accessory mountdetachably securing the at least one accessory directly to the machinegun, the accessory mount having a base portion detachably and directlymounted to the gun body, a body portion mounted to the base portion andslidable along a first axis substantially parallel to a firing directionof the machine gun, an attachment portion connected to the body portionfor releasably receiving the at least one accessory, and a hydraulicdampener system connected to the base and body portions for dampening arecoil force produced by the machine gun, the hydraulic dampener systemhaving first and second dampeners mounted in parallel along the firingdirection, the first and second dampeners cooperating together toprovide damping during both opposed recoil and reaction movements. 2.The machine gun of claim 1, wherein the first dampener providesdampening during the recoil movement, while the second dampener providesdampening during the reaction forward movement.
 3. The machine gun ofclaim 1, wherein each of the first and second dampeners includes ahydraulic cylinder attached to the base portion and a piston having oneend attached to the body portion and a second end sliding within thehydraulic cylinder.
 4. The machine gun of claim 1, wherein theattachment portion includes a second member releasably receiving the atleast one accessory and attached to the first member to allow a secondrotation varying an azimuth of the at least one accessory.
 5. Themachine gun of claim 4, wherein the second member releasably receivesthe at least one accessory through an attachment system allowing a thirdrotation varying the angle of elevation of the at least one accessory.6. The machine gun of claim 1, wherein said first and second dampenersrespectively include first and second hydraulic cylinders, the first andsecond hydraulic cylinders respectively receiving first and secondpistons, the first and second pistons each having one end respectivelyreceived inside the first and second hydraulic cylinders and another endsecured to the body portion, the first and second pistons extending outof the first and second hydraulic cylinders in opposite directions fromeach other.